Southern Utah University has a new art museum called the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA). This museum is located right next to the new Shakespeare Theater on 300 West and Main Street. The SUMA is a great place to spend an hour with your kids.
This museum isn’t large, and most of the exhibits rotate. There is an emphasis on local art at the SUMA. When we were there in summer 2019, an artist from St. George was featured. Her work was exclusively landscapes. Our boys loved looking at both familiar and unfamiliar scenes from rural Utah.
The SUMA offers free admission, but there is a small gift shop and donation box. It is also the perfect place to introduce your kids to art. We love to wander around these small museums and discuss the elements or art, and especially what we like or don’t like about each piece. We didn’t spend a lot of time in the SUMA as there is one large gallery room, and one smaller room, but we excited for this museum to grow and fill out the space. If you’re in Cedar City, stop by and check it out.
The Southern Utah Museum of Art is open Monday – Saturday from 11 am – 6 pm. The museum also has free programs, too. The second Saturday from 2 – 4 pm is Family Day when families can create art together. They also have Create Playdate the final Wednesday of the month at 11:00 am, which is geared for kids ages 3 to 5. For more information, visit their website.
For other family activities in Cedar City, check out our Things to do near Cedar City post.
Tips for Visiting Art Museums With Kids
- Set the expectations ahead of time. We tell our kids to be quiet, no running, be respectful of the art, and no touching before we get there so they know what type of place we are going.
- Talk with your kids about the art as they go. Ask questions such as, what do they like, what stands out to them, etc.
- Have them choose a favorite piece to share at the end. We always share our favorite thing we saw and why we liked it.
